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(No Model.)

F. J. BRINGHAM. :SEAMLBSS LEATHER ARTICLE.

210,545,577, Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

. M mi," '11 I r I 111 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEND J. BRINGHAM, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR -TO THE'SEAMLESSLEATHER COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

SEAM LESS LEATH ER ARTICLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,577, datedSeptember 3, 1895.

Application filed December 4, 1893. Renewed April 27, 1895 Serial No.647,400. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRIEND J. BRINGHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture ofScamless Leather Articles; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact description thereof. I

My invention relates to improvements in the manufacture and constructionof such leather articles as bridle-fronts, housings, and other parts ofa harness, ornamental leather belts, leather collars, such asdog-collars,car-

tridge-belts, &c.

The following specification describes my invention as applied tobridle-fronts, and also to cartridge-belts, these two articles beingselected as types of the general classes of manufactured leatherarticles to which my invention is particularly adapted. Suchbridlefronts are usually made by doubling or .folding a strip of leatherlengthwise so that its edges meet, and then stitching or'riveting to itsface another piece or strip of leather, or cloth, or metal. Theoperation ,of stitching requires much time and labor, and makes thecompleted article more expensive than .is' necessary. Cartridge-beltsare usually made by attaching to the front of a leather belt pocketsformed by bending or doubling a strip of leather into a series of tubes.The outer piece thus formed into tubes is secured by stitches or rivetsbetween the tubes. The necessity for this plurality of fastening deviceshas hitherto tended to make these articles very expensive inmanufacture, and for the same reason they can only be producedcomparatively slow. By my method of construction I dispense with allthis stitching and riveting, and thus produce such articles more rapidlyand more cheaply,-as well as of superior quality.

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, in connection with thisspecification. 4 7

Figure, 1 is a perspective view of such portions of a bridle as willgive a clear view of the bridle-front forming a part of it. Fig. 2

is a front view of a bridle-front. Fig. 3 is a tion, for a fullcomprehension of my inven-' 3. Fig. 9 is a cross-section upon line 2 zof Fig. 3.

A represents a piece or strap of leather, which forms the base or mainportion of a part of a harness, such as a bridle-front, or of a collaror of a belt, as the case may be. In the front portion of this strap isformed a se- I ries of loops 1, produced by slitting the leather atintervals edgewise and lengthwise with a proper tool. The number ofthese loops varies according to the length of the strap and of the loopsthemselves and the space between the loops, and is entirely a matter oftaste and expediency. The right-hand end 'of Fig. 2 shows very clearlythe appearance of the strap as thus formed. Near each end of the strap,instead of a loop, is formed a pocket 2, which is merely a loop with aclosed end.

In making the style of bridle-front, collar, or other article shown inFigs. 2 and 7 a facing-strip B, of leather, thin metal, or othermaterial, is threaded through the loops 1, as shown, being partlyconcealed by them, its ends entering the pockets 2 and being securedthere, if desired, byan eyelet or rivet, such as 3. 'If made of leather,this strip would be white or red, or of some other color contrastingwith that of the main strap, and a very handsome effect is produced bythe alternating colors of the respective parts. I can also form openworkdesigns of various kinds by stamping or cutting out a part of the loops1, through which the strip B shows, as illustrated by the holes 9 inFig. 2. Equally effective as .an ornamental device is a strip of thinsheet metal burnished or nickel-plated or otherwise surfaced so as toproduce the contrast in color. When the two parts are in place, they aresubjected to pressure between rollers, which finishthe edges of strap A,as shown, by forming one or more beads or creases 4, at the same timepreferably giving it the slightly concavo-convex form-shown in thesectional views, It is not necessary that the Fig. 4 is a front view ofpart of strip B should be pulled up tightly from one end to the other soas to lie fiat. Between the loops 1 the strip B may be'allowed toproject a little, if desired. In this way I am able to produce theexceedingly cheap and simple cartridge-belt shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Thisis practically the same structure as shown in Fig. 2, the onlydifference being that the interlaced strip is pulled out between theloops 1 beyond their vertical plane and formed into tubes of proper sizeto receive the cartridges. The strip is secured in pockets at the endsin the manner before described.

The modified form of bridle-front shown in Figs. 3, 8, and 9 is moreelaborately ornamented than that already described and requires threepieces of material to complete it. The main strap is slitted into loopsand end pockets in the manner before described. I will suppose thisstrap to be of black leather. Partly surrounding and inclosin g thestrap A is a binding-strip O, of, say, red leather, the edges of whichare formed with alternate recesses 6 and projections 7. meet or nearlymeet each other between the loops 1, and the recesses leave the loopsexposed. Now, the facing strip B, which I will suppose to be of whiteleather in this in stance, is threaded through the loopsl in the mannerbefore described, so as to cover the meeting edges of the red leatherand alternate with the black-leather loops. Thus I have a middlecheckered design of blackand white with continuous red borders or edges.The creasing and shaping of the edges, as before described, and theoverlaid strip B will hold the free edges of the part C in position.

The right end of Fig. 3 represents very clearly the successive steps inputtingthe different parts together.

In connection with the bridle-front shown in the drawings it should bestated that a great saving in material, time, and labor is secured byforming in the ends of the strap slitted loops, which are integral partsof the by their equivalents in rivets.

The projections strap, without stitching orriveting; In the presentpractice the strap must be made long enough to permit it to be bent uponitself at both ends for a suffioient distance to form either one or twoloops, according to the construction of the bridle, these loops beingmade by one or two rows of transverse stitching or I save on the averageabout eight inches of leather in each bridle-front by forming theseloops as represented in Figs. 2, 3, and 6, and as also described in myLetters Patent No. 500,111, granted June 27, 1893, and in my applicationfor Letters Patent, Serial No. 472,730, filed May 2, 1893. Such loops 8are made by slitting the leather edgewise and then expanding the slittedportion into proper shape, and as they are endless and seamless andrequire no stitching or other fastening can be made much more cheaplyand rapidlythan is now possible, while the saving in material isevidently very considerable.

What I claim is- 1. In a bridle front, collar, belt or the like, thecombination with a strap having integral loops in its surface formed outof a part of the thickness of the leather, of a strip drawn through saidloops lengthwise of said article, substantially as described.

2. In a bridle front, belt or like leather articles, the combinationwith a strap having integrally formed loops on its surface in thethickness of the leather, of a binding strip ,having recessed edges andpartly inclosing 1 said strap, and a facing strip passing through saidloops and partially concealed by them,

and concealing the edges of the binding strip,

T substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed mysig- 1 nature, in presence of twowitnesses, this 23d day of November, 1893.

FRIEND J. BRINGIIAM. Witnesses:

L. W. SEELY, M. R. BRYAN.

